Ideas Exchange: Design and the post bio-tech-body

This thesis situates speculative design as a valuable tool for thinking about design issues and the body. Bringing together historical, theoretical criticism and practice to show that speculative design is intimately linked with the body. The thesis’ arguments build on the basis that both the body and design have gone through a processes of anatomisation: they have been dissected, separated and segmented into parts and terms. Those parts and terms are then ordered in a fashion which may not necessarily be advantageous intra-disciplinarily, that is for collaborations and discussions within a discipline. A different anatomisation is proposed for more contemporary models of design where the frequent use of relative points of reference is evident, in particular in respect to speculative design. This model in which speculative design is considered as adjunct allows designers to more freely share resources with other disciplines at their converging membranes and through doing so that design itself in these new iterations may be considered a useful investigative instrument for exchanging ideas. Taking a ‘research through design’ approach, the text is informed by a portfolio of practice-based works that reveal the complex continuing relationship between design and the body. The eight original design works made for this thesis present body imaginaries influenced by technological change. The methods used to create the design outputs involved collaborative research and residencies which ultimately advocates the refinement of particular communicative tactics in speculative design. These tactics are outlined as a way to develop a sensibility for myself and those wishing to engage with the current zeitgeist of models of the body and design that may eventually be useful in fostering an ongoing exchange between them so that new forms may evolve in both body and design criticism

Biomodd: The integration of art into transdisciplinary research practices

Biomodd is an artistic project with the potential for supporting transdisciplinary practices in blended virtual and in-person environments. After describing the project components, we discuss the collaborative process of idea generation and participant engagement.In this paper, we argue for the integration of collaborative art practice in transdisciplinary (TD) research to generate ideas and engage researchers and non-academic stakeholders. We draw on the virtual and in-person (hybrid) participation of members of the TD collective Space Ecologies Art and Design (SEADS) during Biomodd, an art installation that addresses global challenges in ecology, humanity, technology, and technological waste. Using survey responses, diaries, and meeting minutes, we reflect on the process, methods and ideation during Biomodd and map them to the concept of the “idea journey” discussed by Jill E. Perry-Smith and Pier Vittorio Mannucci. We find that while in-person ideation was driven by utility, materiality, and emergence, the hybrid mode provided favorable conditions for a feedback loop of expansive, individual experimentation and online sharing

What is Media?

Haines delivered a plenary lecture at the conference 'What is Media?' at University of Portland Oregon in the School of Journalism and Communication. The conference was the sixth of the series asking 'What is...?' with this year aiming to define the vast scope of the term 'media'. The conference had a wide range of differing speakers and events including Haines' work Circumventive Organs in the accompanying exhibition HABITATS. "What is Media? (2016) features a unique coalescing of media scholars, government and community officials, industry professionals, alumni, and students, as well as artists, filmmakers, grassroots community organizations, and the public. With media representing a wider and wider range of concepts, products, services, and institutions, the definition of media continues to be in a state of flux. What is media today? How is media studies defined? How have media technologies transformed media theory and practice? What are the futures of media and how are they evolving? What is Media? coincides with the UO School of Journalism and Communication’s 2016 centennial celebration!

Human + The Future of our Species

Advances in genetic engineering, biotechnology and nanotechnology that not long ago seemed purely science fiction are now real. Cyborgs, superhumans and clones are alive amongst us today. What does it mean to be human now? What will it feel like to be a human a hundred years from now? Should we continue to embrace modifications to our minds, bodies and daily lives, or are there boundaries we shouldn’t overstep? HUMAN+ The Future of Our Species explores the possible future paths of our species. It asks what it means to be human in a world of artificial intelligence, lifelike robots and genetic modification. It probes the social, ethical and environmental questions raised by using technology to modify ourselves. Will virtual reality be the new reality? What would happen if a robot knew what we wanted before we knew ourselves? How might we modify ourselves to adapt to an environment that we are drastically transforming? Is longevity a noble aspiration or a terrible threat for the planet? Showcasing works by international artists, scientists, technologists and designers. HUMAN+ presents a future world where the lines between fiction and reality are blurred and shows how our perception of humanity is being transformed by science and technology

Seminar Series: Design Department Buffets (DDB)

Design Department Buffets (DDB) is a platform to bring together ALL design department staff over a series of lunches where we can share insights into our broad and varied research and practice activities

Biomodd: The integration of art into transdisciplinary research practices

In this paper, we argue for the integration of collaborative art practice in transdisciplinary (TD) research to generate ideas and engage researchers and non-academic stakeholders. We draw on the virtual and in-person (hybrid) participation of members of the TD collective Space Ecologies Art and Design (SEADS) during Biomodd, an art installation that addresses global challenges in ecology, humanity, technology, and technological waste. Using survey responses, diaries, and meeting minutes, we reflect on the process, methods and ideation during Biomodd and map them to the concept of the “idea journey” discussed by Jill E. Perry-Smith and Pier Vittorio Mannucci. We find that while in-person ideation was driven by utility, materiality, and emergence, the hybrid mode provided favorable conditions for a feedback loop of expansive, individual experimentation and online sharing.System Engineerin